Board Certified Dermatologist
This article is based on an expert interview with Margareth Pierre-Louis, MD, conducted by wikiHow Staff Editors. Dr. Margareth Pierre-Louis is a board certified Dermatologist and Dermatopathologist, Physician Entrepreneur, and the Founder of Twin Cities Dermatology Center and Equation Skin Care in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Twin Cities Dermatology Center is a comprehensive dermatology clinic treating patients of all ages through clinical dermatology, cosmetic dermatology, and telemedicine. Equation Skin Care was created to provide the best in evidence-based, natural skin care products. Dr. Pierre-Louis earned a BS in Biology and an MBA from Duke University, an MD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed a residency in dermatology at the University of Minnesota, and completed a dermatopathology fellowship at Washington University in St Louis. Dr. Pierre-Louis is board certified in dermatology, cutaneous surgery, and dermatopathology by the American Boards of Dermatology and Pathology.
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You’ve probably been told over and over again to avoid popping your pimples, but sometimes a pimple is so big or irritating that waiting for it to go away on its own just isn’t an option. Bringing a pimple to the surface can give you immediate relief, but doing it the wrong way can actually cause scarring and make your pimple look a lot worse. Don’t worry though—in this video, dermatologist Margareth Pierre-Louis breaks down the best way to bring a pimple to the surface that won’t cause any redness or scarring.
Key Takeaways
- Whenever possible, leave pimples alone and let them come to the surface on their own so you don’t damage or irritate your skin.
- If you do want to bring a pimple to the surface, place a finger on each side of it and press down.
- Never squeeze a pimple between your fingers. Squeezing can cause inflammation and scarring.
Video Transcript
Well, I like to just leave them alone—they'll come to the surface. But sometimes yes, you know, there are some instances where there was something that is actually painful or under the skin. What I would do if I had to bring a pimple to the surface: I would put two fingers basically on the skin around that pimple, meaning a finger on either side of it, and I would press down gently. I would press down and see if I could try to manipulate it to come up in the skin. What I wouldn't do is squeeze. One of the worst things you can do is actually squeeze on the pimple because that can cause scarring and you're causing further inflammation to the tissue. So put a finger on either side of the pimple, press down, and see if you can kind of get it to come up to the skin. And that will minimize you getting that squeezing effect that actually causes destruction.
